Her Happy Ending
by KittyKat06
Summary: Ever since childhood, Janet Wood had been told that happy endings were a part of life, that they were easy to find and easier to hold onto. But after a broken marriage and so much drama, can she still believe in making her happy ending?
1. I'm Moving On

**TITLE: Her Happy Ending **

**AUTHOR:** **KittyKat06**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything. Don't bother to sue.**

**RATING: PG 13 for some sexual content and thematic violence (rating is for the story as a whole, not necessarily chapter by chapter) **

**SUMMARY: _"…and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true…"_ Because sometimes life has happy endings. **

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"You're…moving?" The moment the words left his mouth, Jack Tripper realized that this probably wasn't the most coherent sentence he'd ever put together, but he didn't care. All he cared about was the fact that Janet Wood – his best friend and roommate for seven years – had just announced her plans – along with husband Phillip – to move back to Janet's hometown of Speedway, Indiana.

Fortunately, Terri Alden, their third roomie, seemed as distressed as Jack, if not more. "What happened to staying in town??!!"

"Phillip got a great job offer that pays a lot of money. A lot of money that we could really use right now. And I'll be able to see my parents, and Jenny and Jordan. It's a good thing. Really."

"He's an art dealer, Janet. You're not exactly poor, you know."

"Yeah, but it's not just us anymore."

"Besides, you said you'd stay in Santa Monica. You promised!!" Jack whined.

"Hey…um, I've got to go pack," Janet said quickly, sliding off the couch. _What I've got to do is get out of this room. _So she did.

Jack immediately followed her into the bedroom that she and Terri shared, where she was silently sorting through her things. "Hey, Ter mentioned that you threw up yesterday. Everything okay?" For the life of him, he didn't know where that had come from, or what relevance that had to her moving away from California – and more importantly, him. It just seemed to break the ice.

Or maybe not.

"Never better," she said, barely glancing up. "Now would either of you mind terribly if I steal this?" she asked him, holding up a framed picture of the three friends at the zoo.

"You want that? It's yours. Take it. Take whatever you want."

"Thanks" Janet replied, cradling the frame in her hands as her eyes misted over.

Jack saw that she was trying not to cry. "Are you sure this is what you want?" he inquired gently.

"Of course it is."

"Trying to convince me or you?"

"This move will be good for us!" Janet exclaimed, a little too defensively. "Especially with the baby…oops." She stared down at the floor, unsure of his reaction. He was the first person she'd told, well, besides Terri, but she didn't count. She had already known. She was the one who bought her the test. But when she looked up at him, he was wearing the most incredible smile.

Jack stared at her, trying to process this crucial bit of news. Suddenly, his mind wandered back to what she had said minutes ago on the sofa, and the final piece fell into place. _It's not just us anymore._ "You're…you're…."

"Pregnant, Jack."

"Thank you. But…but how?"

Janet glared at him.

"Okay, when?"

Another glare.

"So when did you find out? Am I allowed to ask that?"

"A couple of days ago. Goodness, I hope Phillip has the same reaction you did."

"You kidding? He'll be thrilled." Jack assured her. "But I'm not so sure I matter anymore."

"Of course you matter! Jack, honey, just because I got married doesn't mean I love you guys any less. All of you are very special to me. . And I wouldn't be so sure about Phillip being thrilled."

"What's wrong? He allergic to kids or something?"

"Of course not! It's just…he's already been married once, and has three kids already. THAT'S why I'm not sure how he'll feel about another one right away."

"Oh. Well, don't – don't worry about it, sweetheart," he advised, crossing over to her and tucking an annoying strand of hair behind her ear. "It'll be fine."

"I hope so."

"I know so. Hon, don't cry. Please, babe, you know I hate that," he pleaded, wiping away a lone tear that rolled down her cheek. "I think it's great."

"You do?"

"Of course I do." Instinctively, Jack grabbed Janet, picked her up a few feet off the floor, and spun her around.

"Jack Tripper, put me down this instant!" she shrieked, but he knew she was happy. She was laughing…a real laugh.

"Feel better now?"

"Yeah, I do…actually. Now don't you dare say anything sweet and mushy, understand? I'm never really cried in front of you, and I'm not about to start now." She hugged him. "Jack, I know everything between us is changing, but I need you to promise me you know that our friendship will be the same. You'll always be my best friend, and I'll always love you more than anything."

He put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away gently so he could peer intently to her eyes. "I love you too, Janet." _You have no idea._

She was now immensely aware that his face was inches away from hers. " I know this sounds stupid, but what's happening?"

"Me doing what I should of done months ago," was Jack's response as he lifted her chin with his finger. He whispered her name as he captured her lips with his own.

Instantly, everything in her power was telling her that this was very, very wrong. _This isn't supposed to be happening! We're not supposed to be doing this!_ But the second Jack's mouth was on hers, she felt a surge of energy travel through her body, all the way from her head to her toes, something she never experienced with her husband. _That can't be good._ Strangely enough, her heart won out over her head, and she found herself oddly enjoying the kiss. His arms were wrapped tightly around her, holding her close, while her fingers entwined in his hair. It felt so good, she didn't want to question whether it was the right thing to do, even though she knew it wasn't. But gradually, the fears pressed forward and her subconscious brought her back. He pulled back slightly to caress her cheek, and that's when she broke out of her 'trance', so to speak, pushing him away roughly. "What the hell was that?" she practically yelled, wiping her mouth.

"Janet, I – " He was cut off abruptly by the sound of her hand hitting his skin. "You…you slapped me!"

"I always knew you were bright."

He chose to ignore that comment. "Why?"

"You deserved it!"

"You know I'm sorry. I'd never want to hurt you."

"Do I?"

"Yes!"

"Why should I believe that?"

"Because I love you!" That caught her off guard, so Jack saw it as an opportunity to set things right. "Would you just PLEASE hear me out?" She shot him a look of pure hatred, but didn't say a word, so he plunged on. "Thank you. I didn't mean to freak you out. Honestly. Honey, you've got to believe me when I say I've had a crush on you for months now. But I was always afraid that you'd hurt me if I did anything…Janet, I've never felt this way about a girl before. And you were kissing me too! Don't tell me there isn't something there! You know there is!"

"Well, I hope I never see it again!" Janet barked, dashing out of the room and narrowly escaping crashing into Terri, who was eagerly waiting for a report. "I hate you!!"

"Janet…sweetie…."

"DON'T call me that! And DON'T speak to me again! Ever! How could you do this to me?"

"What?"

"Kiss me like that!"

Terri gasped. "A **real** kiss! Jack, what it heavens name got into you? What on earth would possess you to do a thing like that?"

Janet rolled her eyes. "Thanks a million, T."

"I didn't mean it like that."

"It's okay." Then she turned back to Jack, and to her horror, felt tears springing to her eyes. Blinking them back furiously, she went on. "You really don't get it, do you? Jack, you kissed me. You can't expect me to just forget and pretend it never happened! And you want everything to be good again! Well, I'm SO sorry, but that's not going to happen! Look…I don't want to see you right now. Go away."

He didn't push his limits any farther. He had done that enough for both their lifetimes, and he knew Janet well enough to know that he didn't want to make her more upset and angry than she already was. "Sure."

As soon as Jack was out the door of the apartment, Janet leaned against it, running her hands through her hair and sighing. "You want a cup of coffee?" she blurted out.

"JANET!!!!!" Terri chided.

"What??!! I like coffee! Coffee is good!"

"Forget coffee! Tell me **ALL** about the kiss! I want details!"

"There's nothing to tell, really," she lied, praying she wasn't blushing.

"Oh, come off it! Boy meets girl, boy and girl live together for seven years, boy and girl are best friends, girl meets other boy, girl marries boy, original boy kisses girl. Sounds like a story in there somewhere. So spill."

"God, Terri! What are we, fifteen again?"

"Yes. And don't change the subject. About the kiss…what led up to it?"

"That's kind of personal."

"Ooooh! Was it kinky? 'Cause if it was, you have to tell me. You know the rules, Janet."

"Terri Alden!!" she admonished again. "No, it was not kinky! I kind of told him I was pregnant…"

"Kind of? You either did or you didn't."

"Hey, I didn't want to!! It slipped! But, yes, I did. I was a little scared of how Phillip would take it and Jack…you know, just sort of held me and told me it would be all right."

Terri nodded. "The stuff great American love stories are made of.."

"Do you want me to finish?! Okay, then. Oh, Terri, Jack was just so shocked when I told him about the baby…but in a good way. He reacted **just** like I'd always dreamed about my husband reacting. But he's not my husband, he's my best friend…anyway, then he told me not to cry, that he thought it was great and Phillip would be thrilled, and he picked me up and spun me around."

"And that's when you screamed."

"Then…we kissed. Terri, it was like magic! His lips were so soft and…we've kissed before, but never like that. I knew this was different, and I should have stopped it, but I didn't want to. It was incredible! It was like…for that moment in time, we were the only two people in the world and everything was perfect."

"Janet, listen to yourself."

Janet buried her face in her hands. "Oh, I know! I knew it was wrong, but it felt so right! Terri, I'm the worst woman in the world, aren't I?"

"Oh, honey, no, you're not. You're pregnant, and you're hormones are all out of whack, making you think you wanted something that you really didn't want because you shouldn't want it but that only made you want it more. It's only natural."

Janet simply stared at her friend in amazement, momentarily forgetting that she had just cheated on her husband and her life was falling to pieces. "I don't know how you do it. You've never met her, but you're sounding more and more like Chrissy every day. But…Terri, thank you! Thank you very much! Its just hormones! Nothing's wrong with me, and I'm not crazy! It didn't mean a thing! I'm not crazy."

"If you say so."

"Terri! You _do_ believe me, don't you?"

"Well…no. What do **YOU** want?"

Her response was instant. "I want to be with Phillip."

"Are you absolutely, positively sure?"

"Of course I am! Terri! I'm just a little surprised, that's all. I never thought Jack and I would ever kiss like that. But **that's all**."

"Oo-kay," Terri sing – songed, in a voice that implied she didn't believe her for a second.

"Hey! I've never thought of being Jack's girlfriend, okay? End of story."

"I don't believe that. And I don't think you do, either."

"TERRI!"

"What?" Terri replied innocently.

The next morning, Janet woke up earlier than she usually did. She glanced at her bedside alarm clock and sighed. _6:45, _the flashing lights read. She had gotten a grand total of four – count 'em, four – hours of sleep. She had laid awake, practically until three, the kiss replaying itself over and over in her mind. She had repeated to herself, _I love Phillip. I do not have feelings for Jack. I love Phillip. I do not have feelings for Jack_, multiple times until she had finally drifted off into a restless sleep.

Reluctantly, she got out of bed, spying a note on her side of the table. Janet unfolded it and read…_Meet me in the kitchen._ It didn't have a signature, and it didn't need one. She knew that handwriting as well as she knew her own. Suddenly, she had an overwhelming desire to change out of her baby pink tee and gray sweatpants. _What's wrong with you?_ the inner voice inside her head screamed. _Since when do you want to impress Jack?_ Running a brush through her hair, she made her way to the kitchen.

Jack looked up when he heard her enter. "Hey."

"Hi," she answered, suddenly feeling shy. She gestured to the three plates of omelets on the table. "What's with breakfast so early?"

He smiled. "I know you two better than anyone, remember? After all these years, you think I don't know your routines? Your plane leaves in two and a half hours. You have to eat, get dressed – which should take a while…"

"Hey! I resent that!"

" – all that girlie stuff that drives me nuts, and then drive out there. See?? And I know Terri's schedule too. Well, she has an early shift."

"You're right. You do know me better than anyone."

They stood awkwardly, just looking at anything but each other. Janet's feet were planted firmly in place. It was hurting her so much to stay, but she just couldn't leave. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Jack broke the silence. "Look, Janet…I'm sorry."

"I know you are. And it's okay…really. It is."

"Honestly?"

"Honestly."

"Do you still hate me?"

"Of course not. Jack, I have to leave and be in town by today. But I'd never want to go if it meant we wouldn't get a chance to work us out. I don't like being mad at you, Tripper."

"I don't like it either. Can…can I hug you?"

"You don't even have to ask," she responded, once again enjoying the tingling sensation of being in his arms.

"Want something to eat?" he asked her softly as they pulled apart.

"Not really," she said, sitting across from him at the table. "You and Terri can split mine. I'm not hungry."

"You feeling okay?" Jack wanted to know as he placed his hand on her forehead.

"Yeah…well, sort of. As best as can be expected, I guess. Trust me, a good morning for me nowadays is any time I'm not puking my guts out."

"Still, you have to eat _something_. Please try?" he asked with his infamous 'puppy dog' look that never failed to make her melt. "For me?"

"Oh, all right," she conceded. "But if I throw up, it's your fault."

"I'll keep that in mind," he said dryly, carefully cutting her a small bite and then handing her his fork. "See?" he told her triumphantly when she made no mad dash for the bathroom. "What did I tell you? Do you want yours?"

"No! I couldn't possibly eat all that! Just…give me one more bite of yours. Please."

"Gosh…what I do for you," he teased as he gave her another forkful. "You want some juice?"

She shrugged. "Why not? My stomach's going to hate me later, but hey…why not live on the edge? But not a lot, you hear?"

Jack nodded as he poured her about a fourth of a cup of orange juice and set it in front of her. She brought the cup to her lips and cautiously took a sip, then immediately put her hand over her mouth and ran out of the room. Not long after that, Jack heard gagging sounds and Janet muttering, "I hate being pregnant."

"Sorry," she apologized as she came back into the kitchen.

"For what? You didn't do a thing."

"Your breakfast and dinner just went down the toilet. I did like it, though. "

Jack laughed. "I'm not offended. You okay?"

"As well as I'm ever going to get. Hey…do me a huge favor and scavenge the living room for me. See if there's anything I forgot. And since I'm such a generous person, I'll help."

"How big of you," he teased.

Janet playfully stuck out her tongue at him. That was one of the things she loved about Jack, and their relationship. He could always bring out the silly and childlike side in her. She could always count on him to make her laugh, no matter how crappy her day was.

He exited the kitchen, and she stood to follow him, but the room started spinning, so she was forced to sit back down. In an instant, Jack was at her side, his hand touching her forehead again. "Stay there, okay? Don't move."

Janet bit her lip to keep from laughing aloud, and she would have if he weren't so obviously concerned. "Jack, I'm pregnant. I don't have a fever, okay? So stop that. It's fine! Dizziness is just another side effect I've gotten accustomed to the past couple days."

"Stubborn as always," he muttered as he followed her into the living room.

"I heard that!" Janet was walking to her bedroom for a last minute count, when suddenly she stumbled and grabbed onto the edge of the table for support. A minute later, she took another step only to begin to fall. Jack, whirling around when he heard her gasp, hopped effortlessly over the couch, and caught her in his arms just before she hit the floor. "You're NOT fine," he reprimanded her gently but firmly as he sat her on the edge of the couch and knelt in front of her.

"Okay…so maybe it's a little worse than I thought," she conceded. "But I'm FINE!!"

"Well…all right," he said, not entirely convinced as he made his way into the bathroom and soon emerged, dropping a pill into her hand. "Just humor me and take the Advil, then I'll drive you too the airport."

Reluctantly, Janet swallowed the pill and sighed. Knowing and living with her so long had taught him that she had many different types of sighs, and he had come to know this particular one quite well. It was her you're-really-starting-to-get-on-my-nerves-and-if-you-don't-quit-right-this-second-I'll-kill-you sighs. "That's nice of you to offer, but I'm perfectly capable."

"I'm not asking you. You're in no condition to drive. Besides…I have the keys." Tauntingly, he dangled them in front of her face.

"Jack! Come on!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Janet! NO!"

"YES!"

"You are incredibly stubborn."

She smiled. "I know. That's why you love me."

"How many fingers do you see?" Jack asked, holding up one hand.

"Five, okay? Can I go now?"

As if on cue, Terri stumbled out of the bedroom, rubbing her eyes. "Normal people do not get up this early." Then she blinked, as if just seeing Janet. "Oh, yeah. Moving Day."

"Janet fainted and claims that she can still drive."

"I did not! Fainting and getting dizzy are two completely separate things."

"Follow my finger, Janet." Terri instructed, her nurse's training abruptly kicking in.

Janet reluctantly did as she was told, but after a few seconds, pushed her friend's hand away. "I'm okay, Terri. I promise, okay? Girl Scout's honor."

"You're not a scout."

"Same thing."

"No, it's completely different. How many?"

"For God's Sake!! One! Can I go now? Oh…you guys…I know you're just trying to protect me, and I appreciate it. Really. I do. But I'm really okay. Honest."

Terri turned to Jack helplessly, who was watching his two best friends with amusement. "Has she always been such a pain in the ass?"

"You better believe it."

"Oh, I most certainly do. And, Janet, yes, you may go."

"Finally! Thank you!" Janet bounced up, swiping the keys from Jack's hand. "Where do you get off calling me a pain in the ass?"

"You are."

"Jack! How do you know?"

"I know everything about you. For example…I know you're very resilient."

Janet grinned. "Shut up." Then she hugged Terri. "I'm going to miss you."

"What am I supposed to do without my best friend?"

"Call me. Every day."

"You got it. And you've got to send me a picture of those kids."

"Will do. I'm sorry, guys…I'm going to be so late!" Hurriedly, she ran into her room for the last time, quickly getting dressed and packing a few of her last minute items.

"A world record, folks! A woman has gotten dressed in under ten minutes!" Jack announced as she returned again. He was surprised, to say the least.

Janet made a face. "Very funny. Now I've really got to go if I want to beat morning rush hour. Traffic's horrible." She hugged her friends one last time before slowly walking out of the apartment, but not before looking back at the building that had been her home for the past seven years. It held so many memories, good and bad, and she wouldn't trade any of them for the world.

"I sincerely doubt that many people will be on the road at 7:00 on a Saturday morning."

"You'd be surprised." Terri commented. "Bye, Janet."

"Bye, guys."

They watched her leave until they could no longer see her car, and then solemnly went back inside. Terri listlessly dropped onto the couch. "Man, I'm glad I'm leaving. I couldn't imagine living here without her."

"That's just great, Alden. What am I to you, chopped liver?"

"Oh, no…Jack, I didn't mean it like that. I just…"

"Nah." He shrugged of her apology. "I'm not really mad at you, Ter. I'm just…frustrated. There are so many things I wanted to say to her before she left -- "

" – and you're too much of a chicken to tell her that you're hopelessly in love with her and have been for years," she finished for him. "Don't try and tell me I'm not right, cause I know I am."

"I never -- "

"Hey, I may be a blonde, but I'm not dumb. You two have been in love with each other since forever, and I've had the misfortune of watching my two best friends in the whole world deny themselves the greatest love they've ever known."

"Terri…"

"Have you ever seen the movie _My Best Friend's Wedding_? Of course you haven't, it's a chick flick…but that's not what matters here. What matters is what the main character said. Do you know what Julia Roberts said, Jack?"

"'Get me the hell out of this movie'?"

"Aren't you cute? No…this was during the trailers. She was talking about the movie…and she said, 'It's about finding the love of your life. And deciding what to do about it.' I'm deciding for you, because obviously you two are too screwed to think for yourselves. Just go for it, Jack."

"Are you trying to get me to commit suicide?" Jack moaned. "I already know I screwed up with her. You don't have to rub it in. Besides…she'd never want to go out with me. We're friends. She doesn't want to mess around with that. It's too late."

"I'm trying to make a point, hon. Go with me on this. It's never too late."

"She's married with a baby on the way. I'm sorry, Terri, but this time it is! Besides, even if I admitted to…to loving her, it wouldn't do any good, all right? She and I would – would never work like that. We just wouldn't. Trust me."

"No! Jack, you trust me! I'm tired of you two lying to yourselves. Oh, Jack…Janet's not here anymore. She can't speak for herself now, so I'm doing her thinking for her. Jack, that girl _adores _you. I **know** it! She'd never admit it, but I could always see it by the look in her eyes and the way she talked about you. And I know that she'd kill me if she knew I was telling you this, but, Jack, every time you brought a girl home, she got so jealous it wasn't even funny."

"You better not be playing games with me, woman. As my friend, you better be telling me the truth now."

Terri nodded quickly. "I wouldn't lie about this. She loves you, and you love her. I know it, and Larry knows it."

"I did write her this letter explaining everything and why it all happened the way it did. I was going to give it to her, but now she's gone -- "

Terri suddenly pulled him off of the couch and almost threw him out the door. "Then DO something about it!" she yelled as she slammed the door behind him.

Jack smiled. "Okay. I will," he said softly, fingering the folded square in his pocket. He knew that he was about to get in so much trouble and his best friend would probably never speak to him again, but he didn't care. Terri was right – he had ignored his feelings for too long. He was in love with Janet Wood, and even if she didn't reciprocate, he simply had to let her know. Jack's step was a little lighter as he knocked on the door of Larry Dallas' apartment. He was finally doing something right.

Greedy Gretchen, the recent object of Larry's ever - waning affections, opened the door, clad in only a long sleeved shirt, which she was quickly buttoning up. "Hi," she murmured sultrily, and Jack gulped. There was no denying she was extremely sexy.

"Hey Greedy…I mean Gretchen. I'm sorry to intrude, but -- "

"You better be, pal!" Larry interjected, getting off the couch. "What do you want?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Sorry. Listen, Larry, buddy…can I borrow your car?"

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever. Now get out!!" Larry said, practically shoving Jack out the door. "It needs gas!"

"Of course it does," Jack muttered, swiping the keys from the end table. "That's about the only thing that works in that car." Nevertheless, he needed wheels. "I've got to catch Janet at the airport. Anything you need me to pass on?"

"Yeah…tell her I'll call her sometime to say goodbye."

"You don't have her new number, genius!"

"Oh…I'll get it from you, then."

Jack slowly shook his head. "Idiot. I've got to go." He jumped into Larry's car, turned on the ignition, and sped out of the driveway and onto the freeway. Unfortunately, he met up with a major head on collision, which resulted in the worst traffic he had ever been in, AND he got all the red lights. "This is not my day."

"That'll be $3.50, sir," the parking attendant said in an extremely bored voice.

Impatiently, he thrust four dollar bills into her hand, not even caring that it was tremendously overpriced, hurriedly parked, and ran into the Santa Monica airport. Spying the arrival and departure boards out of the corner of his eye, he dashed over to them. He scanned the lists of outgoing flights until he found the one he was looking for. "Speedway, Speedway…there we go, Speedway! Gate C4, 9:45," he read, checking his watch. 9:42. _Damn._ With no time to waste, he jumped over the red velvet ropes, tripped, and ran off in the general direction of the C's.

"Where's the fire?" a teenage girl asked him as he dashed off.

"Nowhere in particular," he said as he approached Gate C4. _I'm too late,_ he thought to himself, seeing that most of the passengers were boarded already. Then he saw Janet and Phillip, almost ready to board. "Janet!" Jack yelled frantically.

At the sound of her name, Janet turned, whispered something to Phillip, and came over to Jack, the surprise evident in her voice. "Jack! What are you doing here?" Suddenly, she panicked. "Oh my god! I didn't forget anything, did I?"

"No," he panted, putting his hands on her shoulders to try and regain a normal heart rate. "Call Larry and Mr. Furley when you get a chance. They want to say goodbye." Ralph Furley was their landlord.

"You came all the way here to tell me that?"

"Actually, I came to give you something. It's a letter," he explained, pulling the rumpled square out of his pocket and handing it to her. "It explains everything. All of it. The kiss…well, listen, I don't expect --"

"Jack, I'm sorry, I don't have time. We're boarding now."

"Then I'll make this quick. Listen, I don't expect anything from this. I mean, I know you don't feel the same. You'll probably be mad, and you might not want to speak to me for a while, and that's okay. I understand. Just…when you can…when you feel like you can talk to me without yelling…call me, okay? You don't have to say anything else…just that you read it."

"Okay," she answered. Then she glanced back. "Jack, I've got to go NOW!!"

"Okay. Hey, Janet, you be sure and tell me if he does anything, and I mean ANYTHING to hurt you. Call me. Call me, and wherever I am, I'll come and get you. Wherever I am, I'll come in two seconds and kick his ass so far he won't know what hit him."

"I…appreciate the threat of violence, but I'll be fine. Really, I will. So give everyone my love, and tell them I'll come visit soon."

Jack grabbed her by the arm as she turned to walk away. He gave her a long, searching look before kissing her on the forehead. "I love you, sweetheart. Never forget that."

"Love you, too," she whispered, squeezing his arm. "Bye!"

Jack stayed to watch her and Phillip board the plane. Minutes later, the woman he loved left California…for good. Then he exited the terminal. After living together for nearly seven years, their lives were literally being pulled in different directions.

The flight was well under way when Janet woke up from her nap. Her first instinct was to roll out of bed and go to work at the Arcade Flower Shop, just as she had done everyday for the past seven years, but as soon as she looked at the man beside her, she knew that wasn't right. _We're moving back to Indiana. I'm going home._

She knew now that she had to tell Phillip exactly what had gone on between her and Jack. Janet wasn't particularly looking forward to it, but she knew that Jenny would murder her and bury her ashes if she didn't. She could picture her little sister's face, scolding her. _I know I'm your little sister, but I think I know more about these things than you do. Matters of the heart are my specialty. Be honest. Talk to him. It'll be a hundred times worse if he accidentally finds out later by someone other than you. Trust me. _"…Phillip?"

"Yes, dear?" he asked, looking up from the latest Stephen King.

"Oh…um, it's nothing. You're busy. I don't want to bother you."

"No, it's okay. I was getting bored anyway. It's okay."

"First, I need to know that you love me."

He smiled. "That I do. More than anything. What's up?"

"Baby, you've got to believe me!" she cried, almost begging him to understand. "You've just got to! I didn't mean for any of this to happen!"

"Janet, what's wrong?" he asked softly, taking her hand. "**What** happened?"

"When – when I told Jack and Terri I was moving out of the state…that was so hard. The hardest thing I've ever done. And, well, he followed me into my room…to make a long story short, he kissed me. A **real** kiss."

Phillip was shocked. "Oh. I see."

"Honey?" Janet asked anxiously. "Honestly, It didn't mean a thing. Are you very mad?"

"A little. But I'll get over it. Janet, people make mistakes. Now you did, but that doesn't mean I'll stop loving you. NOTHING you ever do will make me stop loving you."

She was about to tell him that kissing Jack wasn't a mistake, that that was why she was so confused, but decided that this wasn't the right time. "You – you mean that? You still love me?"

"Hey, we're newlyweds, aren't we? It wouldn't look right for us to get divorced a week after we got married," he said lightly, ruffling her hair. Then he turned serious. "Of course I do. You're my wife. I'll always love you, and I'll always be here when you need me."

"Thank you, Phillip. I love you, too."

"Forever." He put his arm around her, and she raised the arm of the seat as she cuddled up against him. Phillip wrapped the blanket around her. She sighed happily and began to dose off again when she remembered the letter from Jack. He certainly had been acting strange when he delivered it, she recalled. _Maybe it was some kind of weird, post – kissing syndrome. _Eager to see what her best friend considered so all – fire important, she unfolded the square and began to read.

_Dear Janet,_

_Hey! How are you? I don't know where you'll be when you read this, so I can't really say anything else. Don't worry about telling Phillip, okay? I swear to you, he'll be fine. Don't worry. I know you are. I know you better than anyone, remember? _

_Our apartment already seems empty without you, and it hasn't even been five hours. Terri and I are going to miss you like crazy. Who's going to keep us in line? You two were always there to try and stop me when I was about to do something incredibly stupid. Especially you. But no matter what trouble I dragged us all into, you were always on my side. You never let me down. You always believed in me. I think that's what I'll miss the most. _

_This'll most likely be the last time I ever get to talk to you knowing you're my friend, so I might as well get on with it and tell you what I've been feeling forever…but never could, until now. That's why I waited so long to kiss you, even though I'd wanted to ever since you told us you were engaged. I figured if I waited until last minute, than you'd be too stressed out about moving to kill me…now I'm rambling. I don't do good under pressure, so I'm just going to say it, okay? Here goes. Janet, I love you. Now I know you've heard me say that to you a million times before, but this is totally different in every single way that it could be. It's nothing I've ever felt before. It's more than loving you…I'm IN love with you. _

_As I said before, I don't expect you to feel the same way about me. I know you don't…and I'm okay with that. Someone wonderful once told me that if you love someone, let them go. So I let you go. Honey, you can't possibly imagine how much it killed me to watch you get married, but I did. All I want is for you to be happy, and I can tell by the way you act around Phillip that you are. When you're ready to talk to me about this, I'm just a phone call away. You know the number._

_Love,_

Jack  
PS: Maybe…we could try and still me friends. I don't want it to be awkward… 

"Holy…" she whispered, amazed. "Jack's in love with me." Now everything made since. The kiss, his acting weird, his hostility towards Phillip ever since they met. Seconds, later, though, her shock and realization turned to anger. WHY was he doing this? They had a perfectly good arrangement! Being simply friends had worked just **fine** for the last seven years! Why did he have to go and mess it up?

"Is anything wrong?" Her husband's voice broke her out of her reverie.

"No! No…nothing! Nothing at all!"

"You positive? Because if you need to talk, you know I'm here."

"I said it's NOTHING! Can't you take a hint and leave me alone for once?" she snapped, suddenly irritated at him. Once the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. Jack was the only one who she could talk to like that and not get any crap back. One of the things she loved about them was that Jack had enough common sense to know when to back off if she had a bad day. "Phillip, I'm…"

"Just forget it." There was no questioning the pain in his eyes. "Okay? Forget I said anything."

Janet groaned, slouching down in her seat. _Great. Not even a week into our new life, and already he's mad at me. _

"Ma'am?" A young girl, who, in Janet's opinion, looked and acted way too young to be a stewardess, stared at her. "Can I get you anything?"

_How about a remote control? Than I could redo the past twenty – four hours and prevent everything from becoming so hopelessly screwed? _Aloud, she said, "No, thanks."

As the stewardess continued on, pushing the cart down the aisle, Janet let her thoughts drift back to the situation at hand. _You were wrong, Jack. _No mater how much they might try, they could never be 'just friends.' She wouldn't be able to look him in the eye ever again! She snuck a glance at Phillip, whose nose was in his book again. Where did he fit into all of this? Of course he was involved, she knew that, at least. But what now? _Jack, in all honestly, I wouldn't of minded you doing this earlier. But did you HAVE to wait until I was already married? _she lamented.

Suddenly, Janet felt something being dropped into her lap. She looked down to see a folded square. She glanced at Phillip, a questioning look in her eyes.

"I love you," he mouthed.

Managing a small smile, she opened the piece of paper to find one hastily scrawled word. One word that made her heart sink and made her feel like the most horrible being on the face of this earth. _Sorry._

"I'm sorry, too," she replied softly, but on the inside she felt like crying. Their relationship was taking a drastic turn for the worst. _What now?_ She realized that the relationship between her and Jack was forever messed up also. This was a classic love triangle if she ever heard one. At that moment, Janet remembered that she and Terri had read an article about this once. 'When you're in love with a guy, and your best guy friend has the hots for you, that's a triangle, folks. It's a no win situation.'

_You can say that again_, Janet muttered sadly. All because of Jack's note, the relationships she had with the two best guys in the world were going down the drain at a rapid speed. And she hadn't even been married for eight days! _Must be some kind of record._

Phillip then slipped his hand into hers, and she felt an immediate pang of guilt. He wasn't stupid. He'd figure it out sooner or later, she knew, and the thought made her wince. She couldn't keep this up forever. Like everything was okay. She'd be living a lie, and her father had always taught her better than that. _Get real, Janet. This isn't TV. Problems aren't solved in a cheesy half – hour sitcom with bad dialogue. You've got to fix this on your own._ No, she couldn't pretend, but she couldn't tell. She couldn't keep on pretending that everything was okay. How could she? Nothing would ever be the same again! And how could she go on making him believe that it was??


	2. Homewrecker

**Chapter 2**

"A little to the left…okay, now, forward…go right…" Terri was saying as she directed the flow of moving furniture.

"Terri, sweetheart, make up your mind," Larry said impatiently. "This dresser isn't exactly the lightest thing in the world."

"How did we get talked into doing this?" Jack wanted to know.

"Because you love me," Terri answered sweetly.

"I knew there had to be a reason."

"Hey!" The good – natured banter and chattering went on for the next half hour as the guys helped Terri refurnish her bedroom. She, too, had left Apartment 201 and now was the proud owner of a cozy, one bedroom house with a perfect view of the beach. "Who invented hammers?" she suddenly asked.

"Okay…that was random."

"No! I'm completely serious! Whoever did deserves to be shot. That's, like, the zillionth time I hit myself today!"

The two men looked at each other and burst out laughing. "Terri, Terri, Terri…you mean little Miss ER Nurse can't handle a simple hammer?"

"Oh, I can handle a lot of things, believe me. But, seriously, tell me I don't act like a girly – girl. I'm not that high maintenance…am I?" she asked, glancing worriedly at her friends.

"Ter, relax," Jack assured her. "You're one of the least high maintenance people I know."

She seemed satisfied with his response, and things went back to normal for a while. They stepped back to admire their handiwork. "I like it! I really like it!"

"You should," he grumbled. "Considering we wasted the whole morning of a perfectly good Saturday to do this for you and then we almost break our backs trying to haul all your junk in here."

"Junk! My life was is those boxes! My life is not junk!"

"Could've fooled me. And half of it was clothes and cosmetics!"

"It was not half! It's more like…a fourth. But still…so what? Quality is more important than quantity."

"All the more reason why you should get rid of this stuff."

Setting her lips in a thin line, Terri glared at him. "I don't remember asking for your opinion. Anyway, at least it's better than constantly trying to sell cars that never work!"

"Hey! Most of them work!"

"They do not! The only difference is they die after you get them home rather then in the parking lot!"

In one swift swoop, Larry caught Terri lightly around the waist. "Don't mock what you can not understand, my love." He kissed her cheek softly. "Besides, if you're my girlfriend, you can't trash me anymore."

"Where's the fun in that?" she asked, cocking her head slightly and smiling.

"Good point," he finally conceded. "No fun at all."

"You know what?" Jack interjected. "I'm just going to go. Have fun, you two." He had absolutely no problem with his two friends dating, and the fact that they were obviously in love was depressing in itself. Plus, they were still in that couldn't-keep-their-hands-off-each-other stage, which only reminded him of Janet and how much he screwed up with her. How much he longed to be with her, to hold her and kiss her and make her laugh and smile every day for the rest of his life. "See you guys later."

"No! Hold on!" Still giggling hysterically, she managed to untangle herself from her boyfriend's grasp to face her friend. "We're sorry…I've got something to tell you anyway." But Larry's lips were on her neck, and she couldn't help but to moan softly. Shaking her head, she turned to Jack. "Janet called last week."

If anything was ever to get his attention, that sentence did the trick. "What? When? What did she say? Why didn't you tell me?"

Larry snorted. "Eager much?"

Elbowing him in the ribs, Terri held up one hand, laughing. "One thing at a time, all right? My mind doesn't work that fast. Now, first of all, she called last Tuesday. Nothing much…just small talk. She's been really busy lately. And excuse me if I didn't rush out to tell you right away, but, frankly, I've got better things to do then keep tabs on you every second of every day. I don't really know your lifestyle anymore. Anyhow, I'm telling you now, aren't I?"

"Oh, yeah. I can really see how she can't take time out of her day to make a ten second phone call. It's been four months, Terri, in case you haven't noticed."

Terri sighed. She knew he wasn't really mad at her, or at Janet. That was just his way. It was easier for him to get angry then to think about what he had lost. Or about what he was afraid of losing. She knew he was afraid, that, as the days went by, so did chances of a recollection. She knew that he was worried if their forced friendship could even hope to survive. "Yell at her, not me. Go home and call."

He didn't have to be told twice. In fact, he was out the door before she could even shout out her next word. "Thanks! Bye!"

When Jack got back home – he was now the lone resident in his old house – he immediately went to the phone and dialed Janet's new number. After ringing multiple times, a little voice came onto the line. "Hello?"

"Hi there. My name's Jack, and I am a friend of your mom's. Is she there?" things were different. Janet was a mommie now.

"Uh-uh."

"Can I talk to her?" he asked after waiting patiently for a few moments without getting a response.

"One minute." He heard a chair scraping the floor, and the pitter-patter of tiny feet got softer and softer. "Mommy! Some guy's on the phone!"

Finally, Janet's familiar voice could be heard in the background. "Brianna, sweetie, we've been through this. Don't call him 'some guy', okay? It's not polite." She sighed and picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Cute kid."

"Oh…hey. Yeah…sorry about that. In her defense, she's only five. And she's getting better. I've been trying to teach her not just to randomly hang up anymore."

"Glad to know you've still got social skills."

She laughed. "Did you just call for the hell of it, or what? I mean, not that I don't want to talk to you, but…."

"Wanted to see how you were, love. How's it feel to be a mom?"

"I'm really a mom," she whispered softly to herself. "Sometimes I still can't believe it."

"That makes two of us."

"Gee, thanks. Your confidence is overwhelming."

"Haven't lost your glowing sarcasm, I see." They chatted idly for a few moments, and it seemed like they were almost friends again. No complications, no hidden feelings…no love. He didn't even think about bringing up the letter or the kiss; if she wanted to talk about it, she'd bring it up. But he wasn't about to wreck it when their relationship was going better than it had been since she left. Reiterating his previous question, he asked, "So how does it feel to be a mom?"

"Some days are better than others. They don't _hate_ me or anything, but good God, Jack, I never knew three people could have so much energy."

"Why on earth would they hate you?"

"Because I'm not their real mom," Janet answered promptly. "I'd say that's a pretty good excuse for hating me."

"Have they ever given any indication of hating you, or are you just borrowing trouble? Because, you know, you tend to do that."

"Not really. Well, at least not to my face. Brianna's just great, though. She's at that age that she knows something's different, but not exactly what. She's just the best. I just love her to pieces. Then there's Jamie…he's 9. He's sort of at that pre-teenage rebellion stage, and he hates that I'm another person who can tell him to go to bed early and not play R-rated video games. But he and I sat down and had a long talk – actually, I talked and he pretended to listen – and he's getting better. At least he's meeting me halfway now. Lindsey's the oldest. She's 12, and she's just thrilled to death that there's finally an 'older girl' to be her shopping buddy and guide her through all of her feminine problems."

Jack made a face, even though he knew Janet couldn't see him. "Enough said."

She laughed. He loved that he was able to make her laugh. "Sorry…I bet you've had enough of tampons and eyeliner to last a lifetime."

"Never. I'd let it be everywhere if you were still here. I could never get enough of you."

"So sweet," she whispered, absently twisting the phone cord around her wrist.

"I always mean what I say. So, you've told me about you and the kids. How's Phillip?" The silence spoke volumes to him. "Sweetheart, what did that bastard do to you?"

"Nothing. He's fine. We're fine. Everything's great."

"You don't sound so sure."

She shook her head. "Just drop it. Please."

"I can't."

"When did you get to be so obstinate?"

"I learned from the best."

"Ha. Ha. Ha. You're absolutely hysterical."

"Seriously, though, honey. Are you having second thoughts?"

"Considering I'm married and knee-deep in Barbies and Superman action figures, it's most likely a little late for that."

"I know you better than anyone. That's how I know you make jokes when you want to avoid things. Talk to me."

Her voice was so soft that Jack had to strain to hear, and even so, it was barely audible. "S-sometimes. Sometimes I wonder if we rushed. Actually, I know I did. It's like we jumped into the pool without bothering to check how deep the water was. I love him, I know I do, but sometimes I wonder if that's enough…never mind. You're my friend, not my psychiatrist. You didn't cal to hear all my pathetic problems."

"What now?"

"I don't really know…we're just kind of letting it ride right now. It's like, we know there's stuff to work out, but neither of us have the time or energy to fix it. Maybe it'll fix itself. I don't want to discuss it." She frantically picked her brain for a neutral topic. _Come on! What do you like to talk about?_ Sighing, she gave up and tentatively stepped toward her failure. "Jack…I read it."

"Oh. Damn it. Listen, that's something I never meant for you to see. The only reason I even wrote it was to get it all on paper. Hopefully that would make it go away. No offense to you, I mean. Janet, hon, you're great. You're more than great. You're my best friend, and I want to keep it that way. "

"All right."

"No, I'm being honest. Janet, you're the one woman in my life that's always been there for me. I don't want to screw that up."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! Honey, it's really not a big thing. It's probably just a little crush, or maybe I just got jealous of Phillip. But it's fine now."

"Of course. I don't want to lose you. We're fine. Honest."

Janet let out the breath she hadn't even been aware she was holding. "Fabulous. I wouldn't want this to mess us up."

"Exactly. Same here. Did you tell him?"

"You mean Phillip?"

"No, I meant the crazy neighbor down the street who mows the lawn in his underwear."

She giggled. "Believe it or not, we actually have one of those. Brianna and Jamie call him Ugly Naked Guy. But, yes…I did tell him."

"And?"

"Fine. He took it fine. Why wouldn't he? He knows I love him. I mean, it's not like I'm actually interested in starting anything with you."

"Seriously…answer faster, would you?"

"That's not what I meant, and you know it."

"I know…listen, I'll talk to you later. Call me when you're not so busy."

"Jack," she cried, surprised to find that tears were springing to her eyes. "Don't do this!" She sighed, muttering angrily as she heard the incessant hum of the dial tone in her ear. "Fine. Be that way. Be an immature baby. See if I care." As soon as the words left her mouth though, she knew they weren't true. Jack didn't want to ruin their friendship because what they had was too amazing to risk it on hormones and lust. Why did that thought mean more than Phillip telling her that he loved her? It wasn't anything against her. Jack wouldn't ever be anything but a great friend. _So why do I feel so lousy?_

Days turned into weeks, and the weeks stretched out into months. Two long, hard months where Jack and Janet didn't speak at all. Thankfully, though, the kids gave her lots of opportunities to keep her mind off her deteriorating relationships. She was seriously thinking of adding teaching reading to her list of major accomplishments. Nowadays, getting through a meal without somebody running off in tears was cause for celebration. Sighing exasperatedly, she flicked off the oven, poured the popcorn in the tub and handed Lindsey small bowls for her siblings. "Supermom," she muttered to herself as the phone rang. Tucking the handle under her chin, she managed a quick hello.

"Have any room in your life for an ex-best friend?" She didn't respond right away, so he tried a different tactic. "There's no way you can see this, but I'm holding up a flag to celebrate the heritage of our friendship. That is, if we still have one."

Finally, he was rewarded with the sound of her tinkling laughter. "Hey, you. I kept meaning to call – I hated how we ended things – but I've been kind of sidetracked."

"I hear you. How've you been?"

Janet groaned. "Don't ask."

"Wasn't gonna…well actually I just did."

"My life sucks."

"Bad day?"

"Gee, you think!"

"Talk to me, babe. Tell me what's wrong."

"Everything."

"Well, that could take awhile, and I'm the one paying for this call. Narrow it down a bit."

"Me, for one thing. None of my old clothes fit anymore, which is depressing enough in itself. My marriage is basically dead. And these three are driving me crazy!" There were suddenly screams in the background, followed by yelling, crying, and the angry stomp of a little girl being grounded. Coming back onto the line, she asked him, "Jack, do you want kids someday?"

"Um…sure?" He laughed. "I've got a feeling that this is one of those questions I'm going to get wrong no matter what, so why don't you just tell me where you're going with this?"

"Take mine."

"What gives? What was that about?"

Janet sighed miserably. "Nothing much. Just your average knock-down-screaming fest. Something about popcorn and one of them got more than the other. Oh, now they're both pissed because Lindsey got her own bag. She's the oldest, you guys! Knock it off! Hey!" she admonished, Jack, who was trying not to laugh. "This is so not any kind of funny!"

"Of course not," he assured her. "In fact, it's the complete opposite of funny…"

"Fine…just go ahead and laugh. My life's simply hysterical, I know."

"Hey…" he replied gently. "What's wrong?"

"You can't guess?" she scoffed. "I gave you a list and everything. Three very specific areas."

"Two," he corrected softly. "Because no matter what you say, you'll always be beautiful."

"You always know what to say," she whimpered, then shaking her head. "But it doesn't matter. Not that it helps any. I could be Miss America and it wouldn't make a damn bit of difference."

"Ah…are you and he…trouble in paradise?"

She laughed, a hard bitter chuckle. "Paradise went away a long time ago, Jack."

"What did he do?"

"Nothing! That's the point! He hasn't so much as touched me…since the night before we came out here."

Jack held up his hand. "Please don't elaborate. Sweetie, you're a wonderful girl…but please don't give me weird mental images."

"Is it my fault that's the way your mind works?" she teased.

"It could be!" he retorted.

She continued on as if he hadn't spoken. "So it's just been peaceful coexistence, you know? I mean, really. We're five people living in the same house, and it's like, 'oh by the way, we're family.' He was particularly nice that one week, though, but that was just because he knew that I knew. He was worried I'd tell. See, there was this one night where Phillip had to go out to some business dinner. I didn't care that there were two girls in the car with him. Okay, two drop-dead _gorgeous_ girls. But I trusted him. Mistake number one. Anyway, I had just finished putting the little ones to bed when…oh God, I -." She bit down hard on her lower lip to keep the tears from falling; nevertheless, Jack heard soft sniffles on the other end of the line.

"I'm sorry, darling. I shouldn't have pushed it so much. Never mind."

"No, I…it's quite all right. I need to do this. It…it was about 10:00 when he finally came back. I went out to meet him, and…I smelled the perfume. And I knew. I just knew. Those girls weren't wearing that fragrance, and you know how I barely wear perfume. Besides, he told me later how he faked a headache and dropped those girls off early so he could go be with Kelly."

"Who's Kelly?"

"Hell if I know. Some bimbo secretary at his office."

"Why does he need a secretary? I mean, I'm all for increasing productivity, and no offense or anything, but, he can't be that busy."

"I KNOW!" she screeched, and Jack could've sworn that she sounded exactly like Monica, that neurotic crazy chick on _Friends_. "So he 'works' with this former Mss Hawaiian Tropic girl who, in all honesty, knows less about art than I do, but has breasts that can be used as floatation devices. All this went on for a long while, because, as naïve and stupid that I was, I always believed all the lies he fed me. Then came the night I found out, and it blew up in our faces. Let me tell you, we had been fighting about the smallest and silliest things lately, but this was the biggest by far. But for the next week or so, it was like when we first met. He was so great to me. Maybe he thought I'd run and blab to the country club, I don't know. But whatever. Anyway, we knew the nice-walking-on-eggshells thing couldn't go on for all eternity. He actually told me it was my fault. That he loved me and that everything he'd ever done with Kelly was a mistake. A one-time thing. One time…that conveniently happened every other night they were together. Yeah, right. He actually had the nerve to say that it was **my** fault our marriage was down the tubes. That _I_ was ruining it because _I_ couldn't forgive and forget. Like he couldn't tell _he_ was the one who screwed me over, screwing around with that tramp." Breaking off suddenly, she just realized that she had just told him everything. "I guess you were just looking for a yes or no, right?"

"I'm really sorry," he mumbled, knowing that the words were woefully inadequate.

"Where have I heard that before? Everybody says they're sorry, but nobody really means it," she groaned. "Oh, Jack, I'm sorry. I know this isn't your fault."

"How are you holding up?"

"Amazingly, I'm fine with it. 18 weeks later, but I'm fine. You want to know what the worst part is?"

"There's more?"

"Sadly. But just so you know, I'm on the verge of a major cry. Even after all that's happened, all I keep thinking about that one week is how wonderful it was. I mean, we both knew it was an act, that he was just trying to save his own ass, but…by all means, I was happy. Believing that he really loved me and that he was excited about the baby, and we could finally be the family I'd always hoped we would be. I was HAPPY. You're not supposed to only feel that once." She closed her eyes then, and sure enough, she started to whimper. "Told you I would," she sniffled. "Look. I've got to go find some Kleenex. It's movie night. Why don't you come visit me sometime?"

"You sure about that?"

"I'm sure that I'd love to see you. I'm sure that I'd love for you to make me smile right about now. Come on down in a couple of months. I'll need all the baby-sitters I can get."

"Oh, so is that all you love me for?" he asked, feigning hurt.

She laughed. "You know it's not. I really miss you. All of you."

"I miss you too, hon. Hey, here's some news on the home front? Guess who has a girlfriend?"

"Larry? That's no shocker…he's got a new girlfriend every day."

"That's not the shock. The real kicker is who the lucky girl is."

She sighed. "Somehow I wouldn't call being able to date Larry Dallas lucky. But I'll bite. Who?"

"Our own nurse friend Terri."

Her eyes were wide with shock. "But…she knows better! She knows what he's like!"

"Go figure girls."

"Why on earth would she willingly set herself up for something like that?"

"Maybe she just finds him incredibly attractive."

Janet snorted. "Larry?"

"Hey! He's got good points!

"Name one."

"His socks always match…he's always on time…he knows how to tell time."

Janet laughed. "You're weird, you know that? But you make me laugh, so I have to love you."

"Of course you do. So…when can I come see you?"

"After the baby's born," she promised him.

"I'll be taking you up on that," Jack replied. "You…you be sure and take good care of yourself, sweetheart."

"Always," she whispered softly. "Bye." Then she hung up the phone, unsure of what exactly had taken place. It was only Jack, yet her heart was racing as of she had just run a marathon. _Please let this be the hormones and Ny-Quil affecting my brain. It has to be! I don't have a crush on Jack. That would mean the end of the world as we know it, and I, for one, can't deal with that kind of pressure._

_Why did I ever support the idea of big families?_ Janet wondered hopelessly for the hundredth time. Three years later, and the breakfast ritual hadn't gotten any easier. If possible, it had gotten more complicated. _I must have been insane._

"Mommie!" a little voice broke her from her reverie. A few seconds later, the small girl came into view, her soft curls bouncing and blue eyes sparkling. Her teddy bear dragged on the ground. "Hungry time!"

"Cheerios or Fruit Loops?"

"'O's!" As soon as the bowl was set in front of her, Stacy immediately stuck her tiny fist in and pulled out a dripping handful. Raising it to her mouth, only half made it in.

Janet sighed, taking a dishrag and wiping her daughter's face and hands. "Spoon, Stace."

Stacy smiled a toothy grin as she picked up the spoon, plunked it into the bowl, and then lifted some cereal into her mouth. Success! Janet couldn't help smiling back. No matter for all the complaining, and all the hassles, Stacy remained priority number one. She loved her dearly, and never regretted her, not even for a second.

"One sec, hon," she said as the doorbell rang.

In response, however, Stacy lifted her arms. "Up!" she commanded.

Janet laughed. "You've got me wrapped around you're little finger, don't you, love? Don't you?" She ticked her, and Stacy giggled, before Janet opened the door. Her mouth dropped open, before quickly forming a smile, when she saw who was on the other side. "Jack…" she whispered, walking into his open arms. Neither of them said a word for a few moments. She simply let him hold her, for no other reason than it felt nice to be loved. It felt really good. For some inexplicable reason, Jack always knew what she needed. He was always there to make her happy again.

"You okay?" he murmured softly so that Stacy wouldn't hear.

"Yeah…just that Phillip died a couple of days ago."

"Oh, hon."

"Yeah…I'm okay, though." She forced a smile. "Hey, little one, why don't you go finish breakfast? Mommy wants to talk to her friend for a while, okay?" Stacy scampered off, causing Janet to smile. "My one love."

"She's adorable," Jack commented. "And her mom's not so bad either."

She blushed. Jack's compliments always made her blush, for some reason. But she loved that he went out of his way to make her feel special. "Flattery will get you everywhere, buddy."

"I'll remember that."

"You better." Then she grinned. "Hey, will you watch her for a few seconds while I take a shower? It's no big deal…just make sure her breakfast doesn't end up on the floor."

"Fantastic," he deadpanned, but then smiled. "Sure."

Spontaneously, she enveloped her former roommate in a hug. "I really have no clue why you're here, but I'm so glad you are. Things aren't nearly as crazy without you."

"Or as fun," he retorted, causing her to playfully stick out her tongue at him.

"Just take care of my baby, all right?"

"Hey!" he said excitedly. Finishing her breakfast, Stacy had toddled into the living room, and was now standing by Jack expectantly. He picked her up and twirled her around a few times, and she squealed happily. "Janet! She likes me!"

"How could she not!" Janet teased. "Mommy will be back in a few minutes, okay? Mommy always comes back." About five minutes after getting in – three years of prepubescent girls and unruly kids had taught her the art of fast showers – Janet stepped onto the fuzzy bathmat. For the first time in years, as she stood in front of her dresser and walk-in closet, she had a problem. She had absolutely no idea what to wear. Janet had heard Lindsey on the phone with friends Carrie and Mikalah a million times, describing what the three had quickly dubbed as a 'clothing crisis.' And now she was right in the middle of one, a full-fledged C.C. She could practically hear direction in her ear. _Go for a natural sexy, Mom. You want him to know that you want to impress him, but not so much that you look like you're trying._

"Janet!" Jack's voice halted the battle over clothes. "Stacy seems to want a popsicle. That okay?"

"Sure!" she yelled back.

"Can you tell me where they are?"

"Freezer!" she called. "Oh, never mind. I'm coming!" She threw up her hands as she critically glanced at the periwinkle blue v-neck sweater and the tight jeans she'd accidentally-on-purpose put on. _Oh well._ Slipping on some lip-gloss and fuzzy slippers, she ran downstairs.

Jack couldn't help but to stare as her hair cascaded down her shoulders in soft ripples. _Does she wake up like this? How could I have missed it for the past seven years? How could I not notice how beautiful she was? _Why had he wasted so much energy on other women when the one he wanted was right here, right now?

"…so I thought I might want to go kill myself tomorrow. Nice change of pace, you know."

"What!"

Janet laughed. "That's what you get for not paying attention to me."

He had to laugh. Taking her hand as they sat down together on the couch, he asked her the question that had been plaguing him for the past several months. "How's it been? Any better?"

She sighed. This was just what she wanted to avoid, the past. She didn't want anybody's pity, especially Jack's. But he reached for her hand, and she could see the undeniable love and concern and support in his beautiful blue eyes, so she continued. "About a couple of weeks after Stacy was born, Phillip came back. But he brought divorce papers with him, and said he was suing for custody of all four of them. I couldn't let that scum scam the courts into making me give up my baby, Jack. I just couldn't. So it all came out in the trial, and suffice to say, it got pretty darn ugly sometimes. I tried to keep them out of it as much as I could. So…he got the divorce he wanted; I got the kids I wanted."

"I would say good for you, but…"

Janet smiled sadly. "It's okay. Really. I made my peace a long time ago. I'm never going to forgive what he did to me, but I'm tired of using and focusing all my energy on being mad. It's not worth it anymore. One night…one night a couple of days after the trial was over, there was a storm. Brianna came in and wanted to sleep with me; lightning scares her. So she got in and curled up right beside me, and before she fell asleep, she told me she loved me. And, you know, that's it. That's it, right then and there. These kids are the most important things in my life, and that's what I'm living for."

"You never told me – "

"It's not something I like to talk about. And…and I'm trying so damn hard to be strong, but Stacy's so much a part of him…and the other three do something to remind me every day…and it's just not working." She didn't even care anymore than tears were streaming down her face. "I can't do this anymore, Jack! I can't!"

Immediately, he pulled her into his arms as she buried her face in his chest. "Hey, hey, hey," he murmured, running his hands through her hair. "Sweetheart, you don't have to be strong for anyone. Especially me. Sshh…sweetie, I'm right here. You're not alone, okay? You'll never be alone again, I promise." He sighed and tried to comfort her as best he could. Truth be told, he had never, ever seen Janet break down. Sure, she had cried a couple of times, but never like this. She had always been the strongest woman he knew, and seeing her so fragile and helpless terrified him.

After a few moments, she lifted her head slightly to meet his gaze, and everything else seemed to melt away. In an instant, his thumb was wiping away her stray tears, and Janet sighed. For reasons unknown to her, she was content to stay in his arms forever. Jack smiled, that crooked grin that always made her heart melt. He knew that what he was going to say would change their relationship forever, but he didn't care. He was tired of pretending. Tired of pretending that he didn't care, that she didn't matter, that he didn't love her, when in reality, he couldn't _stop_ stop loving her. "Can I kiss you?"

Janet blinked. She really hadn't been expecting that. Thousands of scenarios had run through her mind, but that certainly wasn't one of them. How on earth could she tell him no, though, when she wanted him so badly? Janet had no idea what was wrong with her. Where these _ideas_ about Jack were coming from. Maybe it was hormones left over from her pregnancy, though she doubted it. Maybe it was just the fact that he was right there, in front of her, and all of the old feelings and emotions concerning him were coming back. Or maybe...she was falling in love. Maybe she already had. Whatever "it" was, every neuron in her body was telling her to say..."Yes."

So he did.

When his lips met hers, she just about melted in his arms. The kiss was so sweet, sweeter than the one years ago...it was like perfection. She closed her eyes, savoring the absolute _rightness_ of the moment. Jack was gently laying her down on the couch, and her arms went up around his neck. "Planning on taking advantage of me?" she teased, but her voice was trembling.

"Advantage? No way," Jack responded, kissing her again.

Janet sighed happily, opening her mouth to deepen the kiss. She never imagined kissing her best friend would feel like this. She never even knew it _could_ be like this. True, Phillip had made her feel good, but NO ONE, not even her ex- husband, had made her feel the way that Jack was making her feel right now... so amazingly good, like every inch of her body was on fire. She finally understood why everyone always compared it to rockets and firecrackers. This is what she had been missing all along. This is what having a boyfriend and being in love was supposed to feel like. _BOYFRIEND? LOVE! Hold on, girl_. She pulled away, breathlessly

"That was totally wrong...right?" he asked her softly.

She jumped off the couch. Being in such close proximity to him was making it difficult to think. "I'll...be right back."

"I'm sorry. I know that doesn't mean anything to you...but I honestly am."

"I know." She forced a smile. "It's not you, okay? It's...It's me," she stammered, backing out of he room. When she was safely out of Jack's line of vision, she sank against the wall, tears once again threatening to spill over. What had she done? She had just kissed Jack Tripper - her best friend in the world - and she wanted nothing more than to dash back in there and let him kiss her again. But why? Janet had counted on and desperately needed Jack to be the one constant in her life. The one person she could count on, the one person she could trust. Oh, she knew she could trust him. He wouldn't hurt her if his life depended on it. Now, though...everything was different. She had done the unimaginable. She had gone and fallen hopelessly in love with Jack Tripper. NOW what was she going to do!

_Buckle down, girl_, she commanded herself. _You can do this. You have to do this._

It was better to keep things strictly platonic. Having her wisdom teeth pulled the year before had been painful enough.

Open-heart surgery could kill her.


End file.
